Save Article

Bangalore Gets Its Krispy Kreme

Krispy Kreme Doughnuts Inc. has come to India, opening its first outlet in Bangalore.

Krispy Kreme Doughnuts has come to India, opening its first outlet Saturday to a queue of people in Bangalore’s restaurant-lined Church Street.

The U.S.-based company’s arrival comes on the heels of Starbucks and Dunkin’ Donuts. Those two came to India last year via Mumbai and New Delhi, respectively.

Krispy Kreme has entered India through a franchise agreement with Citymax Hotels India Pvt. Ltd., the hospitality division of Dubai-based retailer Landmark group. Citymax has obtained franchising rights to develop 80 Krispy Kreme stores across south and west India over the next five years. India is the 23rd country where Krispy Kreme, which has 700 outlets worldwide, has a presence.

Citymax Hotels President Vishal Sawhney said Bangalore was chosen for the Krispy Kreme launch because of its “cosmopolitan” nature, with many people there well exposed to international brands and more “adventurous” in terms of food than in other Indian cities.

Dhanya Thoppil/The Wall Street Journal

Krispy Kreme outlet in Bangalore, Jan. 20.

Bangalore was the first Indian city to have a Kentucky Fried Chicken, way back in the mid-1990s, and also saw the first Indian Taco Bell open its doors in 2010. Both are owned by Yum! Brands Inc.

Mr. Sawhney said Krispy Kreme will enter Mumbai “soon.”

The arrival and growth of these outlets in India is being fueled largely by demand from young Indians in cities. New Delhi-based consultancy Technopak estimates that revenue from cafés in India will likely grow 13%-14% annually over the next five years to about $410 million.

Krispy Kreme’s signature “Original Glazed” doughnut has been price at 50 rupees ($0.93), while other varieties like the New York Cheesecake and Kookie Krunch cost 60 rupees. That’s slightly cheaper than in the U.S.

“For India, affordability and reaching out to the masses was the key strategy,” Mr. Sawhney said in an email to The Wall Street Journal’s India Real Time.

Leena Cherumanalil, a trainer with a multinational firm in Bangalore, was one of the many who had queued on Church Street to get a taste of Krispy Kreme.

“The Original Glazed doughnut is exactly the same as what you get in the U.S.. But the Glazed Chocolate Cake was a letdown,” she said.

Mr. Sawhney said Krispy Kreme is initially selling 16 varieties of doughnuts and cakes. More varieties could be introduced after gauging customer tastes, he added.